Dry Thunder
by Crystalazer
Summary: Then the echoes of the past are gone. And one last name has been etched onto the memorial stone. Rated for character death.


**Dry Thunder**

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Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. No, Konoha doesn't go boom. You steal fic, you go boom. Simple as that.

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"Snap out of it, Naruto!" A wet hand slapped him across the face.

"Whaa—" The nineteen-year-old boy blinked sleepily. "Sakura-chaaan…" Whining, he gingerly nursed the spot where his companion had left her mark and sat up to see the pink-haired girl glaring down at him.

"Naruto, this is no time to sleep. We're on a mission for ANBU, remember? It's top priority." Hands on hips, Sakura groaned and thrust her head towards the leafy canopy. "Honestly…someone like you should know better."

"But-but-but Sakura-chan, I'm _so _tired! We've been traveling for two days straight already!"

"Geez, Naruto, why can't you grow up already?" But she emitted a reluctant yawn and finally collapsed beside him. "Fine…we'll just rest for a little while…" Naruto smiled before nodding off, vaguely aware that Sakura's fine pink hair, smelling dully of roses even under the dried dirt and blood, was tickling his nose as her head fell against his shoulder.

That morning, an hour or so before dawn, he was awakened again by the sound of distant thunder.

--

"Naruto, wait!" He turned to see her running towards him, tears threatening to spill from her glassy green eyes.

"Sakura-chan…" She flung her arms around him, crying into his chest-plate.

"You better come back," She whispered, squeezing him tighter.

"I'll come back," He declared, prying her away from him. Putting his calloused hands on her delicate shoulders, he smiled confidently. "And when I do, I'll marry you. Bye now," Giving her a sloppy kiss on the forehead, Naruto turned and set off at a blinding speed towards Hidden Stone.

Something in Sakura's brain finally kicked into gear.

_"And when I do, I'll marry you."_ _I'll. Marry. You. _

Was he serious? Naruto didn't joke about things like that… In the aftermath of the shock, she didn't notice that it was raining.

--

Droughts in Konoha were rare. There had only been a few in the whole history of the village, but each time, the land was devastated. The people were devastated too; the once-lively marketplace becoming scarce and the rather nasty smell of rotting vegetables sneaked around the winding streets.

It had been two weeks since he left. The drought had gone on for about half that time.

--

_"Die," _The man hissed and the insane glint in his eye became much more prominent as he slit the edge of a kunai through the blonde man's neck. The gurgling scream that uttered from his thin, dry lips was cut off abruptly as the first thin trickle of blood spilled onto the damp ground. The mask was cracked and lay just beyond reach.

"Sorry," A voice behind him replied as the Kage Bunshin disappeared with a loud pop and a puff of dark, shadowy smoke. Whirling around, the arsonist's eyes narrowed in distain as the real Fox made his presence known. "But I have a girl that I need to go home to. I can't die here. She's waiting, you see, and if I don't come back, well…let's just say that she hits a lot harder than you."

The man died instantly. Grimacing behind the mask, Naruto wiped the edge of his katana on the headless body's ashen robes and strapped it onto his back once more. Mentally, he reminded himself to make another notch on the inside of his mask, but knowing in his heart that he would forget the next morning. Sighing, he disposed of the body and looked toward the evening sky, aflame with countless vibrant colors. _Sorry, Sakura-chan. I'll be a bit late._

--

**_"What the HELL are you TALKING ABOUT!" _**Naruto slapped his hands on the desk and glared fiercely at the Godaime Hokage, who stared calmly back. **"THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE. **It has to be a lie."

"I'm sorry, Naruto, but I don't lie about things like this." Tsunade studied her fingernails. "Haruno Sakura is one of our most able medic-nin, and the only one available at the time."

"But sending her on a _suicide mission? _How could you!" The blue-eyed man sank down dejectedly into the chair facing the Hokage's desk, hiding his face in his hands. They sat there in silence. Finally, he stood up. "I'm going to retrieve her."

"Naruto," The Fifth's voice was firm. "Your team was delayed two days. Two days ago was when she was sent out on the mission. Maybe if you had come back earlier, she wouldn't have had to go. But there is no 'maybe' right now. There is no _'what if' _this time. She realized that this was a one-way road when she accepted this mission."

There was more silence. When the ANBU Captain finally spoke again, his voice was small and cracked. "We were going to get married when I returned, you know?" From within the dusty folds of his uniform, he withdrew a small silver ring. "I didn't have time to give this to her before I left…"

"…Naruto…" The Hokage's look softened for a moment, but then resumed its scowl of authority. "What are you doing, an ANBU Captain moping around like some lazy idiot?" Her voice was steely with an edge that made Naruto automatically stand up at attention.

"You need to get going." She stood up, throwing one of her long blonde ponytails over her shoulder. Turning around to stare out the large window at the village below, she glanced at his face, which was layered in many folds of confusion. "Sakura will have reached the border in a matter of six hours. If you don't want her to die, you'll have to leave immediately."

Tsunade blinked. He was gone. A small smile spread across her beautiful, jutsu-enhanced visage. Naruto was never one to dawdle.

--

A timid, but firm knock. No answer. The apartment was deserted. Either that or the occupant was ignoring all attempts at communication. It was the latter, he decided. Gently pushing open the door, he was faced with a windless living room. Walking across the living room, the man stepped into the hallway. The lights weren't on, and it was just as well. There was no morning light that dawn and there wasn't a doubt in his mind that the boy wouldn't have bothered to turn them on.

The door at the end of the hallway was slightly open. Licking his dry lips, he swung open the door. The blood was there. Shades of crimson and brown, some of it still slightly damp, some of it from days past, splattered all over the walls, the furniture, everything. Ignoring this, the man turned his brown eyes towards the darkest corner.

Closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, the man took the hand of the weeping child and pulled him up. "Come on," he said softly, "We need to go now." Naruto took Iruka's hand and let himself be led away, something he had not done since he was six.

--

"Naruto,"

"Kakashi-sensei,"

The Copy-nin inclined his head before turning back to the monument, letting his visible eye rove over the two new names carved there earlier in the day. After a while, the younger man spoke.

"Kakashi-sensei?"

"Mm?"

"Why…why did you…"

"Rejoin ANBU?" He gave a short, harsh laugh. "I needed something to do in my free time."

"This morning…you…you weren't late."

"She would probably scream at me for being late."

"Do you miss her?"

"Do you?"

More silence.

"I just don't understand! She didn't deserve it! She didn't! How come the people who don't deserve to be here are always still here when—"

"… There are people out there, Naruto, who don't deserve their fate. There are also those that do. Life…just turns out that way."

"Why is that! Why can't it have been me who—"

"Naruto!" The usual mellow tone of his former sensei was immediately replaced by the sharp, authoritative bark of a fellow ANBU commander. Immediately, eight years of ANBU training kicked in.

"Think, Naruto, think! If it had been you who had died, would the present situation be any different? Would it be any better?"

"…" The logic hit Naruto like a kunai in the gut. Finally, he swallowed. "It's just hard. And Hell knows why she chose to accept the mission when she knew it was going to kill her."

"Sometimes, people do things and even they don't know why they did it. Will they regret it? Maybe they will."

"Then why?"

Kakashi sighed. "That, Naruto, is the question we ask ourselves most often." Sighing, he turned and walked towards the forest. "I expect to see you at the designated position in three hours. They're going to blame me for making you late, you know."

--

…_Haruno Sakura… seven shinobi he didn't know personally…Hyuuga Hinata…four more names…Inuzuka Kiba… Shiranui Genma …two names…Hyuuga Neji…Akimichi Chouji…Yamanaka Ino…Hogane Kotetsu…thirteen names now…Nara Shikamaru…_

The Rokudaime stared at the memorial stone. The list went on and on…these were the names of the people who had died to protect the village. None of them were supposed to die. They were supposed to be here, standing by his side.

"Hokage-sama…"

With a heavy heart, he etched four more names onto the face of the smooth marble.

…_Umino Iruka…Sarutobi Konohamaru…Aburame Shino…Hyuuga Hanabi… _

Three days later, half the town of Konoha is demolished and another name is added to the stone.

…_Hatake Kakashi…_

--

Forty years later, the town of Konoha is no more. The faces of the Hokages past have long since eroded from the mountainside. There is only ruin left where buildings once stood, and the forests have taken over. There are no more ninjas of the Leaf either; all have been killed or have moved on to inhabit other Hidden Villages.

There is a place; however, that time has left alone. Once, three thick wooden poles stood there. They have now molded and rotted away, but you can still see the vague hollows in the ground where they were planted.

The stone remains still. Some of the earlier names have started to disappear, though, as if time is reluctant to wipe away the memories of the people they belonged to.Legends say that the names on the stone belong to heroes of the Golden Age of Konoha. If one stands in that clearing on an overcast day, the spirits of that Golden Age will appear once more. Names like _Uchiha, Hatake, Hyuuga, _and_ Sarutobi _will walk out of the past, if only for a brief, fleeting moment. That is how the legend goes.

You might see a boy with eyes that glow red, hidden beneath goggles and black, spiky hair grin and boast of the day he will make his teammates respect him, a young, soft-eyed kunoichi with a generous, kind smile give away her healing gifts to those who deserve them, or the image of a handsome, blonde man flicker in and out of sight.

You might see three of the world's most powerful ninja as they were in their youth. A young boy prodigy with a wart on his nose grins stupidly at his blonde, female teammate, who smacks him and sends him flying into a tree. A lank, black-haired boy stands nearby in the background, his yellow eyes glowing innocently though shadowing a sinister glare behind them.

You might see a boy with a lopsided frown with his best friends, a blonde girl with blank blue eyes chiding him, and a boy eating potato chips. With them will be a loud teenager with his faithful dog trotting by his side, a shy, pale-eyed girl who looks down and does not speak often, and their silent companion, eyes tinted behind dark tinted glasses. Behind them might be three older ninjas. Another tall, pale-eyed male with coffee-colored hair and an impassive expression walks with a purposeful stride, an enthusiastic, endearing, bowl-headed youth with a heinous green jumpsuit clearly is enjoying the life he is living, and a teenage girl wearing her hair in buns carries a hidden arsenal up her sleeve.

These children were the pride of Konoha, the future's brightest hope, they said.

If you're extra fortunate, you might hear the sound of chirping birds and a flash of silver as the vague image of a man with a mask and mis-matched eyes hurtles past you and disappears. At first, he appears to be around twelve years old, but as he keeps on going, he ages up into his late thirties, at best. But then again, he's going so fast that you can't make sure.

Lastly, strolling along at their own pace, may come three young teenagers, all about twelve years old, it would seem. A young girl with jaded eyes and cherry-blossom hair is laughing gently.

The boy to her left is unusually good looking, with pale skin and black hair. His eyes are twin pools of void, giving the impression that he is always thinking, always brooding. His hands are shoved in his pockets and he's frowning in an amused kind of way.

To her right is a rambunctious young male, with spiky blonde hair flying every which way. But his most striking features are his eyes; clear blue eyes without a hint of a tainted conscience. He is talking loudly, and every so often, his full, rolling laughter resounds through the clearing, echoing off invisible walls.

Their expressions are free of pain, free of worry. The future is bright and promising. The dawn of another day is not so far away...but their sensei is definitely late.

Then the echoes of the past are gone. And one last name has been etched onto the memorial stone.

…_Uzumaki Naruto…_

It takes a long time for Uchiha Sasuke to notice that it's raining.

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_Fin_

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**Updated**

_ I was reading this story and thought "By golly, Crys! You really need to revise it!" So I did._

First of all, I am so pleased with all the reviews I am recieving for this story. All the good cheer and emotions you felt conveyed in your messages to me really touched my heart. _Dry Thunder _has gone farther than I ever thought possible, and I'm really thankful for that. To make the story more enjoyable and up-to-date, I've made a few minor revisions in detail and description. I also understand that some parts were confusing to people. I will now take the liberty to explain them.

The very last sentence might have misled some. The Leaf has been destroyed by the Sound and forty years later, Sasuke is visiting the Memorial Stone and feeling a mixture of regret and nostalgia at destroying his home and comrades. Also, he did not take part in Sakura's death. That was a completely irrelevant mission. About the drought: even though it didn't directly affect the beginning of the destruction of Konoha, it was something like an ill omen.

Again, thank you for reading this story, and if you've already read it, thank you so much for commenting. Your thoughts and feelings mean the world to me and they give me the drive and motivation to keep writing.

_Love it? Hate it? I'll never know unless you **review!**_


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